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Why Plug Power (PLUG) Stock Decline Continues Today

Plug Power (PLUG) continued to decline Tuesday after Monday's announcement of a joint venture with Hyundai Hysco failed to impress investors. The stock was down 4.85% to $6.67 at 11:49 a.m. Plug Power signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Hysco for a joint venture partnership to sell hydrogen fuel cells in Asia. Details of the joint venture must be finalized by July 31 under the terms of this MOU. The company also plans to close $150 million in 2014 bookings; it has booked nearly $80 million year to date.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Plug Power (PLUG) continued to decline Tuesday after Monday's announcement of a joint venture with Hyundai Hysco failed to impress investors.

The stock was down 4.85% to $6.67 at 11:49 a.m.

Plug Power signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Hysco for a joint venture partnership to sell hydrogen fuel cells in Asia. Details of the joint venture must be finalized by July 31 under the terms of this MOU. The company also plans to close $150 million in 2014 bookings; it has booked nearly $80 million year to date.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates PLUG POWER INC as a "sell" with a ratings score of D-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

"We rate PLUG POWER INC (PLUG) a SELL. This is driven by a few notable weaknesses, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income and weak operating cash flow."

Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:

The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Electrical Equipment industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 240.8% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from -$8.47 million to -$28.88 million.

Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to -$8.94 million or 93.52% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower.

PLUG POWER INC's earnings per share declined by 27.3% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. But, we feel it is poised for EPS growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, PLUG POWER INC continued to lose money by earning -$0.79 versus -$0.94 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings (-$0.09 versus -$0.79).

Compared to its closing price of one year ago, PLUG's share price has jumped by 4325.00%, exceeding the performance of the broader market during that same time frame. Regarding the future course of this stock, we feel that the risks involved in investing in PLUG do not compensate for any future upside potential, despite the fact that it has seen nice gains over the past 12 months.

The revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 4.7%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 35.6%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.